Basically. Each chapter introduces a number of kanji in with ON, kun readings, stroke order, and kaisho example. then gives a writing sample, often in penji, followed by a roumaji transliteration and grammar notes. In the back of the book is a traslation of all the lessons, glossary, grammar index, and character index. I like the book most for learning to read and write penji.

Uses kunrei-shiki romanization so it might take a little bit to acclimate to, but should be no big obstacle. Contains 20 lessons of increasing difficulty using 680 characters according to the introduction.

I like it. It's one of the older readers worth keeping around. Unlike the other readers, it teaches the kanji too as you go along. If you are not specifically attempting to learn kanji as you go, for example, you dont' specifically need the kanji diagrams or the penji samples, there are other readers written more recently that you might get more out of at Japanshop: graded readers, Exploring Japanese Literature, Read Real Japanese, Breaking into Japanese Literature. Many of the newer readers even come with audio CD or downloadable mp3s to listen to someone read the lessons to you.

Thanks it sounds like the book I already have. An Introduction to modern Japanese. Sounds like I might like this one better because it diagrams the kanji and gives reading practice all in one book. Does it assume prior knowledge of grammar? Or can a relative beginner use it. Basically can you use it like a textbook?

It does assume you already have at least a basic grasp of Japanese grammar. It recommends waiting until chapter 10 of the associated textbook first. But it is not a grammar book by any means or a replacement for a textbook. It can be used concurrently with a textbook course or after. Actually, none of the readers that I've examined replace a textbook.

Thanks for the responses Infidel. I believe you also use the Modern Japanese textbook correct? How are you finding it? I'm reading through it right now and it's pretty impressive, but also pretty daunting.

I've the textbook and workbook by Bowring and Laurie. There is another book out there with the same title, but I don't have that other one.

It's the best written course out there that I've come across yet. Hands down. But it's not without a few negatives. The lack of audio component and answer key demands a bit more initiative on the student's part to compensate than other textbooks. I'd restarted my textbook recently after putting too much effort in readers and such. So today there were some assigned questions and responses to write that I'm not confident of my answers. So, I'll probably be making a post referring to them tomorrow if I still can't find a related sentence somewhere to verify my guess.

leonl wrote:Yeah the Bowring and Laurie one. What Kanji Book/Dictionary do you use ?if you don't mind me asking

I don't really use a kanji book, but I will look up the stroke order in Kodansha's Kanji Learner's Dictionary or at jdic if I'm not sure.

Edit- I've decided to shelve Introduction to Written Japanese. Only because it doesn't have a strict vocabulary list for each page like most other readers do. It's a lot easier to make an anki file for the newer readers, such as Breaking into Japanese Literature. I dunno why it never occured to me before that I could input all these terms into anki. Ahh well.

A little self plug: If you are looking for a reader, our Richard VanHouten has a new $5 download e-book reader: Making a Stone Small (and the Mother Goose download is his too) These downloads have printable PDFs, MP3 files, and a Flash program for interactive listening/reading.